Complete discography of Loma Records, the 'uptown' soul, blues, R&B, and popular music subsidiary
of Warner Brothers. Discography of Loma Records contains full label information and quality scans of A and B sides taken from
original Loma records.

Loma Records: 1964-1968

Whilst Loma Records might sound like a musically obscure label to some, it's very well
known to others, particularly those with an interest in 'Northern Soul' and
60's soul in general, as well as Blues, R&B, 60's 'Garage' and psychedelic sounds. All
in all, this eclectic label offers the music lover and collector an interesting mix of artists, songs and styles.

In 1964, Warner Bros brought in Bob Krasnow - an experienced promotions man
who had been running the San Francisco office of King Records since 1958 - to head up its new subsidiary. Loma Records was Warner's
attempt to cash in on the burgeoning teen market, its seemingly insatiable appetite for 45 rpm records, and the growing commercial crossover of 'Black' musical styles into the 'White' mainstream, something trailblazed so successfully by Motown.

Loma's releases met with mixed, but mainly poor results; the majority of
Loma's output not even registering in the Billboard charts. Acknowledging
this, and perhaps perceiving greater shifts in musical tastes, the label tried
to broaden its appeal half way through its short life by releasing 45's aimed more squarely at a young, white audience and catering for the growing demand for beat group, garage, folk-rock and psychedelic sounds.
Notwithstanding this move into new musical territory, Loma continued to issue 'uptown' soul and R&B tracks. It would eventually return to this sphere under the guidance of legendary producer, writer and arranger, Jerry Ragovoy, whose time at the helm saw the label move from its native LA to the musical nerve centre of New York.

In the main though, history, primarily influenced by the nowadays mainstream
music cult that is 'Northern Soul', remembers Loma Records for it's uptown, uptempo,
danceable soul music. For many, the roster of now revered acts such as The
Apollas, Linda
Jones, Larry
Laster, Carl
Hall, Ben
Aiken, and The
Soul Shakers epitomises the true essence of what Loma Records was about -
or perhaps what it should have been about.

The first Loma release (Billy
Storm) came out in August 1964, and the last (John
Wonderling) four years later in September 1968. In that time
Loma Records released 106 singles (although one of those may
never have actually been released) and a handful of albums.

Regardless of the mixed bag of musical genres, the influences of different producers - including Gene Page, Russ Regan and Jerry Ragovoy -
and the fact that sometimes, particularly in the first half of Loma's
life, those steering the label preferred to license songs from
other labels instead of focusing on developing 'home-grown'
talent (and thus developing their own music stable and distinctive style) Loma Records left us with a musical legacy that is very much worthy of
note.

Indeed, it is exactly this rather odd mix of styles and quality that appeals: from the first releases,
cobbled together or licensed from other labels by general manager Bob Krasnow
- operating with little in the way of budget from Warner Bros executives who nonetheless anticipated musical success - to the later
soulful intensity much favoured by producer Jerry Ragovoy, every 45 says something
about the life and times of Loma Records, and it's a story worth listening to.

Read about the history of Loma Records in this two-part article that originally appeared in a 1977 edition of the soul music magazine Hot Buttered Soul.

Written and published by Chris Savory - respected music collector, record fair organiser and long-time presenter of the BBC Radio programme Record Collectors - to coincide with the UK release of the 7-LP anthology This is Loma, the article, which is republished for the first time in over 30 years, offers unique insights into the label itself and the many artists who appeared on its roster.